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>> Attaining two big wins on the road before the Christmas break, Holyoke’s boys basketball team has managed to stay undefeated, with six games under its belt so far this season. After beating Haxtun, 51-35, on Friday, Dec. 19, HHS took a one-point victory in overtime, 49-48, against Sedgwick County in Ovid Saturday, Dec. 20. It’s a good time to be a member of the HHS varsity team. “We’re having a lot of fun right now,” said coach John Baumgartner. “I like the way we’re playing.” Earning extra praise from their coach after their weekend performances were Kyle Carper, Evan Swanson and Austin Tharp. “Tharp has become our go-to guy,” he said of the senior player. He added Swanson has really stepped up and made some important three-point shots when they really counted. Younger players also had the chance to shine that weekend, especially at Haxtun. Baumgartner applauded Brian DeBoer and Colby Wailes for their rebounding and defensive abilities.Holyoke 51,Haxtun 35 An intense county rivalry between Holyoke and Haxtun always makes for an interesting game, according to Baumgartner. “Playing Haxtun is always fun, whether we win or lose,” he said. This time, however, it was the Dragons who came out on top, defeating the Bulldogs by a solid 14 points. Holyoke had a nice little lead of nine points at the end of the first quarter, thanks largely to Tharp, who added seven of the team’s 16 points, including two three-pointers. However, the Bulldogs weren’t willing to roll over and play dead just yet. Instead, they played a good game of catch-up in the second quarter, ending the first half only three points behind—which was a little too close for comfort for the Dragons. The second period was a disappointing one for HHS, with only five points added to the scoreboard. This hurt the team’s shooting average for the first half, which ended up being seven for 18 to make 39 percent. Bouncing back in the third, the Dragons quickly put some distance between them and the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Baumgartner attributed his team’s success in the second half to its ability to shut down one of Haxtun’s key players, Matt Ramirez. With a fairly good-sized lead by the end of the quarter, and with some varsity players leaning toward foul trouble, many jayvee players were able to get in some fourth-quarter action. “The other players really stepped up and got in some good playing time,” said Baumgartner. Though both teams actually scored the same amount of points in the fourth, HHS had such a strong lead from the third, they were never in real danger of losing it. The Bulldogs were defeated by 16 points. Three Dragons earned double digits at Haxtun, led by Carper with 15, Swanson 12 and Tharp 11. Carper also dominated in rebounds, bringing down 13.StatisticsHolyoke 51, Haxtun 35 2 3 FT F TP FGTharp 2 2 1-4 5 11Baumgartner 1 1 1-2 4 6Carper 6 0 3-7 2 15Swanson 2 2 2-2 1 12Brown 1 0 0-0 2 2Wailes 0 0 0-0 1 0Reid Baum. 0 0 2-3 1 2DeBoer 0 1 0-2 0 3Fricke 0 0 0-0 0 0Greenman 0 0 0-0 0 0King 0 0 0-0 0 0TEAM 12 6 9-20 16 51HaxtunTEAM 6 3 14-17 19 35Scoring By QuartersHolyoke 14 5 18 14 --51Haxtun 5 11 5 14 --35

Holyoke 49, Sedgwick Co. 48 Defending their title as the 2008 state champs, Sedgwick County’s Cougars were upset by the Holyoke Dragons in a one-point game that was decided in overtime. Though the Dragons led through most of the game, Sedgwick County fought back in the fourth quarter, actually taking the lead in the final minutes. But Holyoke never gave up, and prevailed in the end. “I admire the kids for their guts, determination and the way they handled themselves,” said Baumgartner. “They came back and fought adversity to earn the win.” It wasn’t an easy battle, he added, giving Sedgwick County credit for having a good team. HHS opened up the game with some early shots from behind the arc. Swanson added two of these three-pointers. Under such fire, the Cougars found themselves behind by seven at the end of the first eight minutes. The remainder of the first half would continue to go well for the Dragons, who managed to always stay a few points ahead of their foes. Things began to really heat up in the third quarter as Sedgwick County hit two baskets immediately, tying the game at 26. Swanson, however, answered back with a three-point field goal, putting Holyoke back on top where they remained the rest of the quarter, ending it four points in front. Only three points each would be earned by either team in the first half of the fourth quarter, with the scoreboard reading 38-34. However, the Cougars experienced a surge in the next minute, and not only caught up to the Dragons, but passed them. With HHS down by two, Baumgartner called a time-out. In the next two minutes of play, Carper made another basket for Holyoke, but Sedgwick County answered with two more of their own. Down by four with only a minute left to go, it looked like the Dragons could be in trouble. But, again, it was Carper who pulled through and made two more shots to tie the game at 44 when the buzzer sounded. With the game now in overtime, Sedgwick County took advantage of the first half of the period to gain the lead. Finding themselves once again down by four with two minutes left to play, Swanson shot a three-point field goal, putting Holyoke right back in the game. Neither team could pull off a basket in the following minute, but finally, with only seconds left on the clock, Tharp hit a two to give Holyoke the victory. Rebounding was key in those final minutes, said Baumgartner, though he added the team also executed their offensive plays well. “As a group they were confident, even when they were down,” he said. “They had a no quit attitude.” Carper again contributed the most points for Holyoke with 16, followed closely by Swanson with 15 and Tharp 12. Tharp also had 10 rebounds while Baumgartner made five steals and 10 assists.Holyoke 49, Sedgwick Co. 48 2 3 FT F TP FGTharp 4 1 1-5 2 12Baumgartner 2 0 0-1 3 4Carper 6 0 4-6 5 16Swanson 0 5 0-0 0 15Brown 0 0 0-0 4 0Wailes 1 0 0-0 0 2DeBoer 0 0 0-0 2 0TEAM 13 6 5-12 16 49Sedgwick Co.TEAM 17 2 8-16 16 48Scoring By QuartersHolyoke 17 9 9 9 5 --49Sedg. Co. 10 11 10 13 4 --48